Friday, 31 March 2017

‘Peace
Begins with Me’ was the theme of the 3rd Edition of the Keeping It Real (KIR)
Foundation World Poetry Day Competition. The objective of this project activity
is to identify and coach budding writers in Primary schools to become better
skilled in the art of writing especially poetry.

KIR Foundation in partnership with
African Women in Leadership Organization (AWLO) Rivers State commemorated IWD at
Methodist Girls High School (M.G.H.S) Harbour road. The
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on the 8th of March and
is aimed at helping nations worldwide eliminate discrimination against women.
This year, the theme of IWD focused on pledging to be bold for change using the
hashtag ‘#BeBoldForChange’.

Mrs. Ajoke Enebeli, the coordinator,
AWLO Rivers State Chapter in her speech stressed on the need for the girls to
be proud of being women and not be ashamed of who they are. Chidinma Ukpai, a Youth Leader with AWLO
spoke about the need for women to support one another. Mrs. Beatrice Etta Nyiam
an educationalist and a grandmother of twelve shared her life’s story with the
girls. She talked about how proud she was of the woman she had become and
advised the girls to dream and to have plans for their lives. In her closing
remarks she said that, “if you do not plan your life, you are planning to
fail”.

In answer to the question “How can
we be bold for change?” Boma Praise Banibo said that, "Being
#BoldForChange is having the courage to stand out from the crowd." The
event was attended by over 200 students. KIR Foundation and AWLO donated books
to the school library and gave books to students who participated actively in
the question and answer session. The objective of the book donation is to inspire
and sustain a reading culture among the students.

KIR Foundation is committed to mentoring young
people and continues to partner with organizations with similar objectives. The
International Women’s Day (IWD) promotes action that truly drives the greatest
change for women through purposeful collaboration